Worst of the Best
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: The nine-tailed fox seeks Sakura's fertility, and Naruto has no idea that the beast is up to something. So what happens when Sakura suddenly turns out to be pregnant?
1. All Pain, No Gain

-Chapter 1-

~All Pain, No Gain~

How long had it been now? Days? Weeks? Months? How long? And even more concerning, how much longer? The pain was unreal, like nothing he'd ever felt before, but somehow he managed to push past just barely enough to finish a battle. But every time he moved, the horrible pain shot through his spine, up to his neck, and traveled to every part of his body. Normally this would be flat-out debilitating. Naruto had a strong will, though.

In fact, he was just heading back to the Hidden Leaf. He had a home, but he had no one to look after him. It had been that way ever since he was a newborn. The only reason they kept him alive was to suppress the beast's awesome powers. Yes, the nine-tailed fox happened to be that beast. And he happened to be the host, the jinchuriki. He'd wondered why too many times to count.

He recalled the events of the mission as he made his way back. Most of what he remembered was the agony he felt every time he moved. It got even worse whenever he used a jutsu. At this rate, he would have to quit fighting. Shinobi were supposed to stand their ground, though. They couldn't afford to let pain or injuries or even illness stand in their way.

But the pain… The pain had been so intense, so horrible… He couldn't help but wonder what was happening inside his own body. Perhaps he had overused his chakra. Come to think of it, he hadn't really rested from fighting rogue ninja and other enemies. Sometimes he would be called to duty even in the middle of the night. Yes, that had to be it. It would be a logical explanation. This might be exactly why his teammates told him to calm down and get some sleep.

He sighed, feeling sleepy. He brushed it aside just long enough to flop onto his bed. His body still hurt a whole lot, but the pain loosened its grip on him just a little now that he was staying still.

_Man…today was rough. I winced a few times from the pain, but I don't think anyone noticed._ he thought. _Hopefully I'll feel better after I rest._

But after hours of insomnia from the torture he was being put through, he gave up on trying to sleep. Instead he settled for just relaxing on his bed. He tried to shove the pain from his mind and concentrated on training and perfecting his techniques. But there were a few other things on his mind as well. His sensei and teammates, his friends and their techniques, and most obviously, Sakura. He'd asked her out numerous times when he was younger, but each time she shot him down. She had her hopes up with Sasuke. She never thought of him as good enough.

But then, nobody ever truly did. Sasuke was the ace of the class and the team. No matter how hard Naruto tried to claw his way to the top, everyone still feared him. They rejected him. To them he was nothing more than the very monster which threatened their lives. But he'd used the fox's chakra for good deeds, hadn't he? Didn't anybody see that? No, of course not. They either refused to believe it, didn't know about it, or ignored it entirely. In their eyes, their village was jeopardized because of his very existence.

Was that how his fellow shinobi thought of him? Or maybe they saw him a bit differently. Maybe to them, he was the ultimate weapon. He was a monster that could wipe out all the Leaf's enemies in one fell swoop.

No, no, that couldn't be right.

Either way, no matter what they saw him as, he had been weighing down the team pretty drastically. He had to stop and catch his breath more often than usual. He had to rush to catch up to them, and then work ten times harder to keep up with them. Oftentimes he found himself relying on his friends' help because his strength would simply fail him. The longer a fight took, the more he put himself and his team in danger. He had become a huge disadvantage, though he didn't think anyone noticed something was off with him.

He grunted as the pain forced itself back into his mind, reminding him how badly his body hurt. Oh, what he would give just to have one minute of peace.

He hissed as he felt the spot on his arm where two kunai knives had sliced him. They'd cut him pretty deeply, but not enough to deal any serious or permanent damage. It was still bleeding a little bit, but he knew it would stop soon. In fact, it was thanks to Kiba and Akamaru that he survived at all. He didn't have the energy to dodge the kunai, but luckily Kiba spotted the attack. Akamaru knocked him down, saving him from all but two kunai. Kiba quickly grabbed him and carried him away before the assault could continue. Neither of them got hurt, but he should have been able to dodge the weapons on his own.

The only thing his team had observed about him was the two wounds he received from the kunai knives. It was truly astonishing how oblivious they were when it came to Naruto's well-being.

The only real downside to ever even going on that mission was the mere fact that Sakura was there. Not only had he made a fool of himself right in front of her during the fight, but she was a medical ninja. That meant it was her job to heal his injuries, the same injuries he normally would've avoided. He never gave her a chance to do that, having lost all pride and dignity. He left the rest of the battle to his team, knowing he would only slow them down. This meant Sakura would be looking for him when she got back.

_Good thing she doesn't know where I live. At least I don't think she knows; she's never been to my place before._ he thought.

He yawned tiredly and tried to get some sleep. The pain made it hard, but eventually he just passed out on his bed. He needed the rest if he wanted to fell better.

**A/N**

**Hope you guys liked it. Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. I figured it would be longer, but I guess I thought wrong. Anyway, the story takes off with this chapter, and more are on their way. **

**I'll only post the next chapter when I receive six reviews. I just need to keep interest in the story is all, and sending ideas to me would be a great benefit to the story. Praise is also much appreciated. **

**Oh, and can someone PLEASE tell me how to spell Kakashi/Kekashi? Also, is Akamaru spelled right?**


	2. NineTailed Loner

-Chapter 2-

~Nine-Tailed Loner~

Naruto breathed in and out slowly. The pain seemed to get worse and worse, but that could've just been because he woke up. It was nighttime; he could tell by the almost-full moon and blackness of the sky.

The ninja yawned and got out of his bed. As expected, there were no parents to tell him to go back to sleep. No grandparents, no parents, no siblings, no cousins, no anyone. But that was okay; he was used to it. He stretched his muscles. He felt rested, but definitely not energetic. He knew exactly what had happened to his parents. It would have been different for him if they had died for some reason, but they were most likely still alive. Before he was born, the nine-tailed fox had been sealed inside him. Why it had to be him, he still didn't know. But he knew his mother had grown scared to the point of paranoia. His father had already begun to hate him for two reasons. One was because his son now carried a huge, monstrous beast inside of him, and the other was because his wife had become a complete wreck, almost a different person. Nonetheless, his father had stayed with his mother. Right after he was born, they left him to fend for himself. He knew this only because he stole into the Hokage's "top-secret" files once, only to spend the next month or so crying his eyes out.

But that day changed him, morphed him into the person he was now. Ever since he'd found out what really happened to his parents, he had worked so hard to become stronger and stronger. Every day was a struggle to gain the acceptance of the world. The only reason he had to become Hokage, though, was so word would reach his parents, wherever they were. Then they would love him and be proud of him. And only then would he have a family, the one thing he liked to pretend he had.

He looked around the room. It was empty and quiet without other people in it. It was one of those times you wished so badly you had invited someone over to keep you company. Naruto didn't ever have company. He never wanted anyone to know what kind of a life he lived. No one knew he never had a family, and he intended to keep it a secret.

He went to the bathroom and soaked his hands in neutral-temperature water. He didn't have a faucet or sink, only a large bucket. He dumped out the stale water and filled it to the top with fresh water every day, except he concealed this routine. He cupped his hands, lifted them up, and washed his face. It wasn't that his face was dirty, the water just felt refreshing.

He forced himself to smile through the pain. Even though he was poor and could only manage just enough money to pay for food, he still considered himself lucky to be alive. He was lucky to have a home at all, even if it was nothing but an abandoned old boarding house. Besides, it was where he grew up. This little room he stayed in was the best he could do. He did everything to maintain it, from cleaning to repairs. Occasionally he would make a little extra money from his missions and he would save that money in case something were to come up that he couldn't handle by himself.

He took a towel and dried his face and hands. What would Sakura think if she saw this place? He was proud of it because it was the only thing to show for all his hard work and determination throughout his life. But he was ashamed of it because being poor wasn't something to be proud of. He just barely got by with what he had. If Sakura saw it, she would probably think even less of him than she already did. His decision was made final then. Sakura shouldn't see his home. Besides, someone who hardly succeeded in taking care of himself certainly wouldn't have much to offer to someone who had it all, family, friends, a real house, a good life, food always on the table... Normally that would make someone in his position jealous, but Naruto was very happy for her.

Now that he was up, it would be futile to get back to sleep. He had already rested enough. But it was nighttime and everyone else was asleep; what could he do to pass the time?

He could focus on his training. But he had nobody to spar with. He could try meditation. Meditate on what? He could clean the place top to bottom. The little room needed to be cleaned anyways.

Well, that was resolved pretty easily.

He grabbed a cloth and his bucket of water and began cleaning. The work was agonizing, but if somehow Sakura were to show up at his doorstep, he wanted the place to look its best. He could picture her now, furious with him for taking off like that in the middle of a battle, and then not even having the nerve to tell her where he was going or why he didn't let her heal him.

He let out a dry laugh. If she came, he would be delighted to see her, but she would be fuming at him. On top of that, she would see where he lived, which would give away _how_ he lived. Surprising how nothing really changed over the years...

_Maybe I could try asking her out again. I mean, I haven't asked her out in at least two years._ he mused.

He had a feeling deep down that she didn't want to date him. And he kind of had a right to think that. Last he remembered, all she ever talked about was Sasuke. Sasuke this, Sasuke that. It was downright irritating. Yes, he was immature at the time, but did she really have to crush his feelings? And now she had this immense strength. If she chose to, she could crush his bones as well. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to run before the fight was over.

He realized that while he was concentrating on this thoughts, he had been done cleaning for some time and was now cleaning the same spot over and over. He wrung out the cloth and hung it out to dry. It was still nighttime. He was still lonely.

None of the restaurants were open yet. They didn't open until sunrise. He sat back against the wall and shut his eyes. The pain was getting to that point again, the level where it became overbearing. It would've been a wise idea to tell someone and have a doctor or medical ninja look him over, but if that happened they might find something wrong. And if that happened he would be told to stay at the hospital or rest. He couldn't afford to do either. He didn't have the money to pay any medical expenses and he needed to make money by completing missions. The only way to complete missions would be to go on them. The only way to go on them would be to act like everything was fine and dandy.

A bat fluttered overhead, but he paid no attention to it. It wasn't really worth paying attention, but at least it gave him something to watch for a few seconds. Better than doing nothing...

After awhile, the boredom of doing nothing but feel his body hurting became unbearable. It was at times like this when he liked to talk to the nine-tailed fox. True, it never actually talked back, but the fox seemed to be the only family he had. He had grown up with it, so technically it was like his brother. And Naruto found out a long time ago that it helped the loneliness and the time pass as he had a one-sided conversation. Whether the fox was listening or not, he didn't know. He liked to think it was.

"So I went on a mission today," he said. "I totally blew it, though. If it weren't for Kiba and Akamaru, I'd be dead right now. That's how I got these cuts on my arm. Well, I guess you already know that, since you were with me."

He continued on about his day and how things went, but the blackness of the night didn't lift. There wasn't exactly a ton of action that had gone on, so there wasn't too much to talk about. However, he told the nine-tailed beast how he had fled the battle, how he had become a burden to them lately, and how he had slowed them down. Eventually he rambled himself into a slumber, probably still talking.

When he next woke up, there was light. He had fallen asleep outside, and now it was around midday. If he was to be needed or called to a mission, he had to be outside and away from his home. He didn't wish to be caught near the place. To him it was home sweet home, to others it was a disgrace.

He yawned and stretched, making sure to loosen up his body to stay in top form in case of a mission. He needed another mission. Mission or assignments meant money. It meant he got paid. He needed to go grocery shopping anyways. Ah well, he still had a little money saved up for such an event. Hard to believe, but Naruto was an excellent cash manager who budgeted his money wisely and carefully. For him, all it took was one single slip-up and he could go broke. So naturally, he had learned to manage his budget at a very young age.

The moment he was in the street, Guy and Rock Lee flew past him in some kind of a hurry. He assumed it was merely a training exercise. After all, it wasn't uncommon to see those two rushing off to somewhere. Sometimes they were racing each other, other times they were doing something that involved some form of ty-jutsu. Either way, they were running somewhere, enthusiastic as ever.

He didn't read too much into where they might be headed since it was so common to see them that way. Right now, he needed to think of a believable excuse for when Sakura tracked and hunted him down. She was like some kind of hunting dog or something, the way she managed to find him so fast _every time_. Too bad she only came after him when he was hurt; he would love to see her looking for him to hang out with him.

No, no, now was definitely not the time to think about how to ask her out! Naruto mentally slapped himself. What would he tell her? She was a medical ninja, so if he told her about the pain he kept experiencing, she would only keep him from going on missions until he was better. He couldn't stop his missions. He couldn't tell her he felt like he was being a burden to the team; she would just pity him and he hated that kind of attention. What if he tried to hide from her? Hm...tempting, but there was no way it would work. She would probably go get Negi or Hinata, and then they would use their Byakugan to find him. Curse that kekegenkai of theirs... Hiding wouldn't work, confronting her wouldn't work. What was a guy to do? He really put himself in hot water this time. He could already see her strangling him half to death in her fury.

He groaned. This was too hard. There was no place safe from Neji's or Hinata's Byakugan. There was no place safe from Sakura, not even in front of her! Maybe he could try to fix up the injuries on his own.

...

He laughed at the very thought of it. Him? Treating such little cuts as the two on his arm? As if; they would heal on their own, _without_ any first-aid kit. Alright, well the matter of how they would heal was settled, but what was he supposed to do when Sakura found him?

That question would be answered right here and now, because she had already found him. And as he expected, she was dreadfully enraged.

"HOW COULD YOU ABANDON YOUR TEAM LIKE THAT?" she screamed, ready to grind him into next millennium at a moment's notice.

_Crap, oh crap, SAY SOMETHING!_ "Uh...I thought the fight was over?" _I'm so dead..._

"NO, THE FIGHT WASN'T OVER YOU LITTLE DROPOUT! WE JUST GOT BACK LAST NIGHT!"

"Sorry, Sakura, I just felt tired. Like so tired I couldn't even get out of the kunai's path. Kiba and Akamaru saved me," he said. _Whew... Nice save! And technically I'm not telling a lie 'cause I really was tired._

"Well why didn't you just tell us sooner if you weren't up to a fight?" Her voice was much calmer, and it seemed to be a little remorseful while at the same time concerned. "And if you got hurt, you should have just come to me. It's my job as a medical ninja to heal my comrades."

"I didn't think such small wounds were worth using up your chakra." _Again, not exactly a lie. These little things would've been a complete waste of good chakra._

The pain hadn't retreated at all. It was still on the front lines, attacking every cell in his body. It was agonizing. Any second now he was sure he'd pass out from pain overload. If that happened, he knew Sakura would be all over him when he woke up. Tons of questions would be hurled toward him, all coming from her mouth. He resisted the urge to grunt or wince. He didn't want anyone to know about this.

Sakura sighed heavily. "I won't be using much chakra if the cuts are as small as you say they are. Give me your arm."

Naruto didn't have to give his arm to her, she just grabbed it and yanked it up to her eye level. Would it kill her to be a little more gentle?

"They aren't infected, thank goodness. They're a little deeper than I first thought, though." With those words, she began healing him by forcing her own chakra into his arm. The mild surge of chakra not only healed the cuts instantaneously, but it helped relinquish the agony he had been suffering. It wasn't much help, but any help was good enough for him.

"What was that?" she asked suddenly, as if she'd heard him say something.

"What was what?"

"What did you say about me?"

Say about her? What on earth was she talking about? "I didn't say anything, Sakura. You must've imagined it."

She looked back down at his arm even though she was already done healing it. A small breeze blew some hair out of her face, and he suddenly saw why. She was blushing. A cute little smile was splayed across her face, and her cheeks were a bright pink color. She was the perfect picture of adorable!

He found himself blushing at her blushing.

Just as quickly as she had shown up, Sakura vanished. Naruto guessed she was continuing her medical training; it still wasn't perfected.

**A/N**

**Ugh... This chapter was a pain to write, but you guys reviewed so much I HAD to get it done! Such awesome reviews deserve a quickly updated story, don't you think? **

**Anyway, I'll post the next chapter when I get sixteen reviews. **

**I suppose you guys deserve some replies, so here you go.**

**_Blazikengirl_-Thanks! I thought about the idea for days, and then I finally decided to write it in story format. **

**_King Nintendo_-Well, your wish is granted! Is this the chappie you were looking for?**

**_Skeptical_-Sorry, no flames accepted. And if you really like the story, then you'll just go along with whatever happens.**

**_Emily_-Thanks and I will! Yes, I got Akamaru right!**

**_Chris_-Cool, I hope you keep reading!**

**_xPaperheartsx_-Yeah. I know he's usually high-spirited, but sometimes I get the feeling that it's just an act. So I pointed out some things that I thought would make him sad.**

**_Anotherredguy_-Don't worry, I NEVER write within ANYONE'S threshold. If they don't like it, then they should just stop reading it.**

**_ of michigan_-Well, then it's a good thing I updated, right?**

**_Excele Kurokami_-Um...I won't say if you're right or wrong. You'll just have to find out for yourself. Like a surprise! :D**


	3. Passage of Time

-Chapter 3-

~Passage of Time~

There was no doubt about it. Aside from the healing session, the pain had increased a noticeable bit when he was around Sakura. But why? It had never happened before. Perhaps it was just a fluke. After all, it wasn't as though every little pain spike meant something. Those spikes happened every day. It was probably just a coincidence that it occurred when Sakura was near him.

He decided not to pay too much attention to it. However, if it became a recurring ordeal, he would have to look into the matter.

His stomach growled, bringing him out of his thoughts. Ichiraku's sounded good. Of course, it always did, but this time was...actually it wasn't different from any other time. Oh well, when you're hungry, you're hungry.

It only took minutes to get to his favorite restaurant, and only a few more minutes to begin slurping up delicious pork ramen. As he ate, he reflected on Sakura's actions earlier. She ran. No, not ran, she fled. What gave her the impression that she needed to flee? And it was a possibility, a strong one at that, that she had imagined him speaking to her. But he had been right in front of her, so how could she have imagined it? But the most curious thing was that she blushed. She _blushed_. But what exactly was she blushing at? Could she have been embarrassed about something he didn't know about?

"Here's another bowl of ramen, on the house," Ayame said, smiling in the customer-friendly way.

"Oh, thanks, Ayame. You guys have the best ramen!" he complimented.

She chuckled. "Thanks. Sometimes we give free ramen to regular customers."

"Much appreciated."

Now, what was he thinking about again? ...Oh, right! Sakura's weird behavior. Sakura was such a careful and, at times, withholding person. Yet she was sweet and caring and sometimes emotional. She had a strong will, too. But for some reason, she pushed all that aside and ran away. Had he actually said something without knowing he had spoken? Was he the one who made her blush? Doubtful... She was probably thinking about Sasuke at the time. But that would only lead to a new question; what in the world would've made her think about Sasuke at a time like that?

At that final question, Naruto dropped the matter entirely. His mind had reached a conclusion of its own. The conclusion? Girls were strange creatures...

He quickly downed the remaining ramen broth. For whatever reason, he didn't feel like having another bowl or seeing just how much ramen he could stuff down without puking. Questions still nagged at him, but he just answered each one with, "Girls are just weird."

"Here, Naruto," Ayame said as she offered him a plastic bag. "It's instant ramen. You see, sometimes we get hungry while we're working and we don't have enough time to whip up our own ramen. So we always have a little stash of instant ramen cups in the back. I want you to have some, and please promise me you'll eat them all, okay?"

"Uh, okay. But why?" Naruto asked.

"My father and I noticed you weren't eating anywhere near as much as you usually do lately. We got worried about you and he told me to give you some of the instant ramen cups."

"Oh, well, thank you."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah. I've just been so busy with missions lately and I haven't had much time to come here, that's all."

"Oh, is that it? We thought you might be coming down with something. Anyway, even if you're on a mission, take some of the cups with you. It'll help fill you up."

"Okay. Thanks, Ayame! And tell your dad I said thanks, too!" He waved goodbye as he left Ichiraku's Ramen. The people who ran that place were so kind to him. It was one of the reasons he had gone there so much. It was the main reason that this place was his favorite eatery.

It was still daytime and he was getting tired of waiting for a mission. Even if it was a D-rank, he would jump at the opportunity. He really did need the money. Plus, he needed to get groceries from the market. He had some money, but not enough to get all the things he needed. If he wasn't called for a mission, then he would only have enough for half of his groceries.

_Darn it... Why is it suddenly so hard to get an assignment? Well, I guess I could train to pass some time._ he thought. _After all, a ninja always has to hone his skills beyond perfection. And I didn't train yesterday or last night. I should have had plenty of rest by now._

With this resolution in mind, he jumped up on the nearest rooftop. Quickly making a hand sign, he shouted the jutsu. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four individual shadow clones appeared with a flashy poof of smoke. Each one was wincing and groaning in pain. They were a direct reminder of how much pain he was in. It was like watching himself do what his body kept telling him to do, wince and groan.

"Guys, you up for some training?" the original Naruto asked.

One of them stood the full height of his body, as if prepared, but the other three sat down and tried to breathe slowly and evenly. They stayed as still as possible in a desperate effort to silence the howling agony.

"Alright, I guess I'll spar with you," the standing shadow clone answered, obviously still in pain and not doing a very good job of hiding it.

_Ugh...they're in too much pain; they won't be able to help me train in this condition._ he mused. _By now, everyone's probably out on an assignment._

Naruto decided it was best just to break the jutsu instead of wasting his chakra; there was still a chance he could be called to duty. Each of the clones disappeared, again with the poof of smoke. Meanwhile, the original Naruto sighed heavily from boredom and constant pain. It was a biting mixture indeed.

Sakura, on the other hand, was sitting on a bench beside the Hokage's towering establishment. She felt like such an idiot to run away like that. No matter how Naruto acted, she doubted he'd done anything to deserve _that_. Poor guy probably didn't even know why she ran! And on that note, who knew he was such a charmer? There was no way she had simply imagined what he said.

_"You know, I never noticed it before, but you look really beautiful."_

How would someone have imagined that? Furthermore, how come it was enough to make her blush like some lovesick little girl? She didn't even blush that hard when Sasuke was around!

The mere thought of Sasuke was enough to make her heart sink. Sasuke was still with Orochimaru. He wasn't here, where he should be. Naruto had promised to bring him back, but that promise seemed to take longer and longer to keep. Actually, speaking of Naruto... She had sensed that something about him was a little bit off. She wasn't sure what exactly, just that something was wrong. But Naruto wasn't the type to hide something. It was a shame she didn't know where he lived; she might be able to ask his family what was wrong. _If_ something was wrong, that is.

She groaned. Being frustrated was frustrating!

_I wonder what his house looks like. I've never seen him go home before. Come to think of it, I've never seen him leave his house or going to it... It kinda makes me curious. _Now she really wanted to know what his house looked like. _Oh, man... I can't believe I'm_ seriously _wondering what Naruto's_ house _looks like! Why would I want to go there anyway? His family's probably just as obnoxious as he is. _

But the curiosity bugged her, nipping at the edges of her conscience. It was like her very soul was just _dying_ to know, most likely only for the sake of knowing. And knowing sometimes meant blackmail... She smirked at that thought. Now...how would she find out where he lived? If he hid it from his own teammates and friends, nobody she knew was liable to know. People she didn't know were less liable to know. Only Naruto and his family members knew. But it wouldn't be too hard to find out. She supposed she would find out eventually if she followed him around until he went back home. The she could see once and for all what his house was like. The only trick was to not be spotted, lest she be mistaken for a stalker.

Her eyes almost popped plum out of her head. Her? Mistaken for a stalker? Though technically it _was_ stalking him, it was for a different reason. Did that make it the same thing? Did that still mean she was a stalker?

She forced herself to believe the answer to that question was a definite no.

Oh, and speak of the devil... She hardly had to wait at all! Naruto was walking right on the crossroad in front of her. Lucky day, oh lucky day...

As soon as he disappeared from sight, she trekked after him, trying to be as stealthy as possible. Thankfully, that wasn't too hard, being as she was a shinobi. If she was caught doing this, her reputation would be forever ruined. That said, she stayed low and in the shadows. Not that her pink hair or darker pink outfit helped with that much. And that white circle on her back? More like a target sign than a design. She decided, after awhile of skulking around in the dark and risking being caught, that it was better to jump up onto the rooftop. Her pink hair and clothes would camouflage her a bit better on the roof because it somewhat matched the color. It would help her to blend in with her environment, something every shinobi, even rookies, had to learn. It was part of the basic training requirements.

After hours of waiting for Naruto to actually go somewhere or do something, she got bored with her results. He hadn't really done anything lately. It was closing in on the end of the day, though, and Naruto should be heading back home any minute now.

But for the twenty minutes, all he did was stare out at the sky. It wasn't in her direction, so she wasn't worried. But it was getting dark, and mosquitoes were eating her alive. The pointless little blood-suckers... Sakura had two choices; one, stay here and get eaten up by insects, and two, go home and get some rest. Right now it would be better to get home so she could rest. There were bigger things at hand than Naruto's house. Take, for instance, her assignments. She needed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a mission. Then there was her family. They might be getting worried about her. She had two reasons to get home, and only one reason to stay and watch Naruto stand around for the next half hour. The choice was obvious.

But what Sakura missed was the blond-headed shinobi's next actions, executed only a few minutes after she'd left. He started toward his home.

**A/N**

**Yeah, I know, I know. Horrible stopping point, right? Well, I'll try to make the next chapter better for you guys, okay? Also, I hope you liked this one at least a little bit 'cause alot of you have asked what was said to Sakura, and alot of you have your own theories of how it was said to her. XD They were all wrong, but I'm glad you didn't get it right otherwise it would've ruined the surprise. :D Yay for surprises!**

**THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! Those reviews meant alot to me, and it's for that reason that I will give them well-earned replies. After this announcement.**

**I'll post the next chapter when I have thirty-one reviews.**

**M'kay, now for the replies:**

**_Blazikengirl_-No problem! Yeah, I figured she had come in sometime, and since Naruto was already worried about her (well, technically, his life), I figured I would just put her in now. Then I thought 'hey, why not tell her thoughts a little?'. So I did and that's how this chapter came to be.**

**_Gohan Videl fan 498_-It's going...to follow the plot of the story! Yayz!**

**_of michigan_-Um, did they die in the series? I haven't seen all the episodes, so...yeah, there's probably alot I still don't know. Read to find out! Muahaha!**

**_Saiyan Videl fan 99_-Thanks! I was hoping it would catch people's interest.**

**_dragonball z fan 300_-Thanks!**

**_NaruSaku fan 100_-Thanks! ...Are you the same person reviewing four times?**

**_thedarkpokemaster_-I hope you do! ^.^ It would suck for me if you didn't.**

**_still Skeptical_-You're not disappointed YET? What makes you think you'll be disappointed at all? I'm striving to make each chapter better than the last. Okay, whether or not Naruto is Naruto or he is "Kyuubified", he is STILL Naruto because he was born with the nine-tailed fox and it is sealed inside him. Besides, even if it doesn't turn out the way you want or thought, maybe you'll find you like it. So just give it a chance. Well, I'm glad it's at least somewhat interesting to you. I hope you'll keep reading and telling me what you think.**

**_Excele Kurokami_-Thank you so much for clarifying that! I literally had no idea since I watch dubbed. (subbed is okay but sometimes the words blur and its hard to read) No, it's not a time skip, it takes place during the Shippuden time frame. Oh, I completely agree with you on that! They DEFINITELY need either more NaruSaku or more NaruSaku updates! I think NaurHina is okay to a certain point, but nothing really beats NaruSaku does it?**

**_Anotherredguy_-Wow, you really took this in-depth didn't you? Well, I can't ruin the surprise, so I'll just leave you to find that out on your own. :3 Cuz I iz SO evilz...**

**_Tea Unicorn_-And now you find out!**

**_Rocketshipping fan_-Don't worry, I will.**

**_WaterHedge_-Really? I thought my idea would be pretty popular. I guess that just from reading so many Inuyasha fanfics, though. Inuyasha's demon side always wants Kagome. Don't worry, tohugh. The fox- Oops! Almost gave it away! Better keep my mouth shut.**

**_Rose Contestshipping fan88_-Thanks!**


	4. Sakura's House

-Chapter 4-

~Sakura's House~

Naruto stretched when he got through the door. It was meant to loosen up his muscles, but it only made his body hurt worse.

_Where is this pain coming from?_ he thought. And it was a perfectly legit question. He assumed rest would help it, even if it was just a little bit, but rest hadn't done anything for him. He hated not being able to get into his usual energetic and high-spirited self. The agony pretty much blocked out all happiness. It was sort of like having a bad headache; when you had one, you didn't want to move or speak or even _try_ to look happy. It was because the pain was what your mind focused on the most. Well, for him, that pain was wracking his every cell! Right about now, he wished he could just tear himself apart.

It was getting frustrating, this pain. He had no leads as to where it might be coming from or why it was even there. What was more confusing, it spiked greatly whenever he used a jutsu. He could go to Lady Tsunade, but she would just hold him from any missions. It halfway seemed worth it. Part of him advised him to get help, but the other part, the stronger part, demanded that he get his priorities straight. He _needed_ the money from his missions. The pain might go away the day he decided to seek out a medical ninja. If that happened, he would only look like an idiot.

_I guess I'll just wait for an assignment._ he thought. _It's not like I can do much else in this condition..._

But then...if he were to go on a mission, it meant he would have to act energetic and put on a bright smile. He hardly had the energy to make it through the day, let alone to act all hyper and impatient. He could manage a smile, though.

He got a sip of water from his water bucket. The pain was starting to make him sick at his stomach. He really detested that feeling... Luckily, he had a different bucket, the one he used for the days he got sick.

He opted not to eat anything. It was a waste of food when you were just going to barf it out. His stomach growled lowly in disagreement with his decision. It wanted food, but it was going to have to wait.

Naruto had discovered that if he lay still long enough, the nausea would subside altogether and the pain would lessen a bit. After that he would be free to eat whatever he wanted. Well, so long as it was still good.

He lay on his bed, which was really just a pallet with a pillow and covers, and pulled the covers over him. He didn't bother to change into his pajamas; he didn't figure he would sleep well enough to change.

He supposed there was a slight upside to the pain. It was so bad that he couldn't feel any mosquito bites. It was like being immune to itching!

As he rested, different things crawled into his mind, one after another. Like for instance, there was Sakura's "Sasuke fetish", and then somehow it went from that to him trying to train with a tree stump. The mind works in mysterious ways...

_As do girls._ he thought. _Sakura in particular just gets weirder and weirder. For instance, why was she following me all day? Strange... _

And that thought went from Sakura's behavior to the history of blond. But it was a thoughtful subject to wonder about. Like if the cavemen were all brown or black-haired, then how did blond come to be? And what about red? Did they just dye their hair so much it became permanently embedded in their DNA? Freaky just to think about...

After awhile of riding on the ever-twisting, ever-looping thought rollercoaster, he finally noticed that he wasn't nauseous anymore, just hungry. His stomach growled again, as if relieved that he noticed it at last.

Naruto grabbed a cup of instant ramen, one of the several given to him by Ayame, and filled it with hot water. He closed the lid and waited. It would only take a couple of minutes to cook, so he didn't have to wait long before he could dig in.

It was delicious, though not as good as Ichiraku's. It was chicken flavored with vegetables in it. More importantly, it was devoured within one minute, a record time that belonged only to Naruto. There wasn't a single person on the planet who could break that record. At least, he didn't like to think there was.

After he got done eating, he changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas. Lastly, he put on his always-important sleeping cap. Now he was ready for bed.

He must've passed out, because the next thing he knew, rays of sunlight were shining right in his eyes. He grunted and rolled over, only to remember that he needed to wait for a mission.

In a flash of lightning, he got out of his pajamas and changed quickly into his normal shinobi clothes, complete only with his headband.

He ran out the door and kept running until he was outside the Hokage's building, which for him, didn't take that long at all.

There, he paced back and forth, eagerly awaiting a call. Why wasn't someone coming to get him by now? He was one of the most powerful, and definitely most chakra-full, ninja the Hidden Leaf had to offer! Was there no quarrel that needed to be settled? Was there nobody that needed to be escorted somewhere? Didn't anybody need to be protected? Why wasn't there anything to do?

Eventually, he got bored and sat down on the bench beside the building.

Just a few minutes later, Negi and Shikamaru walked up to the front door, only to be stopped by none other than Naruto.

"Wait, guys! What are you doing here?" he asked angrily, knowing exactly what they were doing here.

The twosome turned to him and sighed.

"We were asked to go on a mission. What else would we be here for?" Shikamaru replied.

"How come I haven't been able to go on missions but you two do?"

"It's not like we're as perky as you. These things are such a drag..."

"Shikamaru, I'll handle this," Negi interfered. He turned back to Naruto. "Naruto, Lady Tsunade told me she wasn't going to call on you today because she wanted you and Sakura to spend some time with each other."

"Wait a second... Me and Sakura? Didn't she at least tell you why? I mean, Sakura and I aren't exactly a couple, we're just friends. And besides, I always do something wrong to make her punch me. Grandma Tsunade's lost her edge in this kind of stuff..." he said.

"What you two do together is none of my concern." "Yeah, just go spend a little time with her and just think of it as a...er...a mini-mission." The pair told him.

A mini-mission... Of course! Sakura must have been feeling bored or lonely or something and told Tsunade about it! He was one of the funniest guys alive, so it was only natural that he should be called on for such a thing. Nobody was better suited for this job, and keeping a comrade happy was an important role of a shinobi. Well, that's the way he thought it was supposed to be. He dashed off, toward Sakura's house.

"Lady Tsunade didn't really give you that message for him, did she?" Shikamaru asked once his friend was out of earshot.

"No. I just needed him to stop bothering us. After all, it's only an escort mission, and the sooner we get started, the sooner we can complete it and get back here," Negi answered. "I just hope she doesn't find out I sent him..."

* * *

><p>"Yeah, Negi told me all about it!" Naruto said.<p>

The pinkette sighed heavily. "Well, I guess you want to come in now..."

A huge smile brewed on his face. "Gee, Sakura, thanks!" With that he ran inside, though he didn't forget to take off his shoes first.

Not that she said he _could_ come in, but now it was a little too late just to shove him out. She happened to notice, however, how he was admiring her place, the living room, wondering what rooms were behind the closed doors, and even the kitchen, which connected to the living room. He seemed to like the kitchen the most. How typical of a guy...

Well, what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't be so civilized that hot tea in tiny little porcelain teacups would be the first thing she served to him. On the other hand, she couldn't be so loose that she would throw a wild party. Besides, it was just Naruto. It wasn't like he deserved special treatment.

...So then why did she feel the need to treat him like he was the ambassador of New England?

She sighed; it was a real head-scratcher.

Naruto turned around and waited for Sakura to say something, kind of like he was waiting for a command to be given to him. He didn't really know what to do now; this was the first time he'd ever been in a girl's house. What was he expected to do? How was he expected to act? What was he expected to say?

"Uh, so are you hungry? We've got leftovers, and my mom baked some macadamia nut cookies yesterday," Sakura said, breaking the awkward silence that had enfolded itself upon them.

"Oh, I'm not really that hungry right now. Thanks for the offer, though. It looks like Sakura has a nice side after all!" He grinned the usual Naruto-grin.

"Shut up! I didn't even invite you to my house!" she retorted.

A sudden and rather random thought came to her. Naruto had been cut by a simple kunai knife... No way would _he_ not have enough energy to dodge that! This was Naruto, after all! On top of that, he'd told her he had been really tired when that happened, so tired he couldn't get out of the way and had to have someone else rescue him. It wasn't in his nature to do that so plainly... Then there was the undeniable fact that she had sensed something was off with him. Yeah, he looked okay and sounded okay now, but what about when he was alone? Was he okay _then_? She doubted it. Her instincts were telling her something was different, but she just couldn't find anything wrong with him.

She held back a groan. Why, when, and how did Naruto, of all people, of all shinobi, become so mysterious and hidden? She knew it was because he was hiding something...right? Didn't that mean he was hiding something? Or maybe he wasn't, maybe he was just changing naturally. No, no, if he was changing naturally, it wouldn't happen in a split second. It would take time, it would be gradual.

Sakura shook her head, as if shaking her head would expel those thoughts. It was just way too many questions for Naruto. Shikamaru? No. Negi? No. Ten-Ten? No! Even Hinata! But Naruto never kept secrets! He never hid anything! What the heck? WHY NOW? WHY HER?

"Hey, Sakura, you okay? You look a little spacey there," Naruto stated, bringing the pinkette out of her frustratingly impossible thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking, that's all," she replied.

"'Bout what?" he asked.

Crap, of course he would ask that! It was such a standard question; why _wouldn't_ he ask it? She needed to think up an answer, and fast. But she couldn't tell him she was thinking about _him_. That was far too embarrassing. So then, what? Well, there was always dinner, and even though her mom was planning on heating up leftovers instead of cooking, she could always use that as an excuse. And if for some reason Naruto decided to stay for dinner, she could say she just forgot. Yes, it was perfect!

"I was just thinking about what I should make for dinner, nothing important."

Just then Naruto felt his heart pulse irregularly. He resisted the urge to clench his chest and smiled innocently. As scared as he was, he didn't want to frighten Sakura. Not now, not ever.

He just barely held back a grunt of discomfort as his heart pulsed again. It was as if it was throbbing and romping around inside his chest. It didn't hurt, but it felt like something was going wrong. It definitely wasn't a heart attack, but what if it became one? And what if it-?

...His mind went blank. There was nothing. So he didn't know that inside him, the nine-tailed fox was letting its powerful chakra seep into Naruto's central nervous system. This would allow the fox to control Naruto's every movement. For all Naruto knew, the nine-tails could be mocking him for being so weak against the very beast he was supposedly able to control.

"Well, you know, ramen's always a good option," he said. The voice sounded just like Naruto's, the comment even more so; Sakura was completely oblivious to what was really going on.

"Ugh. I don't get how you can keep yourself from choking on the stuff. For one, you eat the same-flavored ramen every single day," she returned sarcastically.

Naruto moved a little closer to her, not nearly enough to make her feel uncomfortable or threatened. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe it's time I try something new. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea. What do have in mind?" Why was she being so nice? Especially to Naruto! Yeah, he was a good, funny guy, but let's face it, they were just friends. She was acting so differently. It was almost like she was...flirting... With Naruto. Her. Not Hinata. Oh, man, this was definitely a first. But she didn't really want to stop. It felt natural, liberating in a way.

"Well...uh... I don't really know if you'll let me try it," he said, daring her to say she would.

She took the dare. "Nah, it's fine." She smiled cutely and batted her eyelashes. "Even a top-rate shinobi can be a really good cook."

It would've been so adorable to the real Naruto how she complimented herself. He would've blushed at it. But right now, right here, the boy Sakura saw in front of her wasn't the boy she knew. It was _not _Naruto.

In a matter of seconds, the genin had moved from near the middle of the living room to right by her side. He studied her face. Her muscles had tensed up a bit at first, but she relaxed them. Her face showed no signs of distress. She was tolerating him. In the animal kingdom, if a female allowed a male to be so close to her without attacking him, it meant she would let him court her. And unless it was a sea louse, under no circumstances was the male to show aggression or dominance over her. Otherwise the female would reject his courtship and either chase him off or attack him. The fox had observed that it was pretty much the same in humans; the innate instinct to be calm and courteous to a female was the same, and it was essential to the entire courtship process. Only if the females decided to reject them, they could still attack or run them off, but usually they "broke up", as the humans phrased it, and parted ways peacefully. At first this was astonishing to the fox. The females in the animal kingdom never did this. It had awed the fox that the humans had developed a less violent method of rejection.

From studying the humans, the fox had, over time, learned that the females of the human world forced their blood to rise when embarrassed. Courtship usually caused a certain level of embarrassment which made the blood vessels in their cheeks fill and expand with blood. This, in turn, caused their cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. Right now, Sakura was showing all the right signs, giving off all the right signals. Her cheeks were pink and she was looking down while fiddling with her hair, which strangely was also pink. The fox had never really gotten why humans, especially the females, wished to change the color of their hair. Though right now that same crafty beast could care less. Apparently, even though he wasn't of the same species, he was making all the right advances. Judging from the pinkette's reactions, it was clear he was doing well.

"So...you said you would let me try anything, right?" he said playfully.

"Well, yeah, I guess I did say that," she said, giggling afterwards.

_Why am I acting like a lovesick puppy? I don't love Naruto! ...Do I?_ she thought. Right now it kind of seemed like she did. Maybe she was just being moody, but...

"So if I hugged you right now, you wouldn't mind?" he continued.

She turned away from him. No, right now she she wouldn't mind at all. But normally he wasn't this bold with her. Normally she would beat him to a pulp for even thinking that! Maybe it was just that back then she was so wrapped up in Sasuke she was ignoring Naruto altogether. Yeah, that actually seemed to be a very reasonable and logical answer. Had he always been this bold? Had she just not noticed? It seemed like he was acting a little differently than normal. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but something was still off. Something...but what?

She felt a pair of arms snaking themselves around her waist and a head being rested on her shoulder. Her thoughts diminished until Naruto was her main focus. She didn't object, didn't resist, didn't struggle to get out. She let him do whatever. She didn't even speak, she just savored the moment. Eventually something deep inside her took over and her head turned to lean against his. She really didn't try to reclaim her body as her own. Naruto wouldn't hurt her, ever. She knew this way before she started giving in to him.

When the fox felt Sakura place her arms over his, he was at first afraid she was going to push him away. But she didn't. In fact she seemed to be pleasured by this. It also seemed like she was waiting for him to proceed to something else. But what? Was this it? Was this the end of the line? The fox didn't know what humans did in such a situation. Perhaps he could kiss her. Maybe at first on the cheek, so as not to rush her.

He turned his head and pursed his lips, just barely grazing her cheek. He was trying not to be forceful with her, but it would turn out that it wouldn't have mattered either way.

Sakura, upon feeling his gentle kiss, swiftly turned around in his arms. She threw her own arms around his neck and stood on her toes so she could kiss him. It was fully, on the lips, and definitely passionate. What had taken over inside was giving her the bravery and boldness of someone she wasn't. Now she was grateful it had taken over. It was like her body instinctively recognized each sensation she felt and responded of its own accord. She was just a bystander, watching and feeling what went on. She was getting pretty decent enjoyment out of kissing Naruto, something she would never truly admit to anyone.

The nine-tailed fox failed to realize something about Naruto; all humans in general, actually. When enveloped in an intimate moment such as this, the human body starts to do things on its own, regardless of the will of the person that body belongs to. It acts on its own will, and seems to listen to no other. To the fox, this was an advantage. It didn't need to do much work anymore. Now all that was left was just to sit back and watch, and also keep Naruto's consciousness at bay. Plus, it might help move things along if the tailed beast encouraged the instinctive nature of what was going on.

Naruto pulled the pinkette closer to him. He dared not break the kiss. Unfortunately, though, Sakura felt the lack of oxygen in her lungs. She puled away just enough to suck in precious air. Her heavy breathing was mixing with the genin's. Their lips barely touched, and it was looking as if neither of the two were willing to fully part.

Sakura wouldn't have normally dove in for a kiss like she had done just now, but her hormones were raging and her heart was pounding. Her mind was foggy and everything was a blur. She hardly even knew what she was doing anymore. Part of it might've been what she felt when kissing Naruto. He had been masculine and assertive. In a weird sense, it was endearing. In a more logical sense, it really turned her on. She liked a relationship where the man took charge. Not that she wanted zero freedom, but when the man made the first move and ended with the last move, well...she really liked that.

Naruto knew better than to force a kiss on her when she was still catching her breath. He could feel her heart beating. It was speedy and regular. She was really down to earth right now, he could tell.

Meanwhile, the fox used Naruto's nose as a substitute for his own. Naruto's human nose couldn't pick up any traces of pheromones, but when endowed with the nine-tails' chakra, it allowed the beast to smell the scents that Sakura, whether she knew it or not, was releasing. And from what he could smell, she was in heat. Of course, this wasn't news to him. He'd been timing this day for awhile now, waiting and anticipating the right moment, when Sakura would be at her peak fertility. Now, finally, the waiting was paying off.

**A/N**

**Okay, you guys got what you wanted. Well, sort of. Anyway, I think we all know what's going to come next. Give me some time. Also, terribly sorry for the slow update. Shouldn't have taken that long and you guys didn't deserve to wait that long. But at least I updated at all; it's better than dropping the story altogether. So just bear with me until the next update, okay?**

**Also, PLEASE STOP WITH THE SPOILERS! I KEEP TELLING YOU I HAVEN'T WATCHED ALL THE EPISODES YET!  
><strong>

**So now no new chappie until the reviews hits 55 reviews.**

**Also, your review replies (sorry if they aren't very long; I'm tried...):**

**_WaterHedge_- Well, if you want those kinds of stories (though there are no other Naruto ones at the moment), you should visit my profile. Flowers Will Bloom seems to be one that tons of people like. 26 chaps and 400+ reviews. My reviewers rock. Also, Sticks and Stones. Forgot how many chaps and reviews but I think it's a pretty good ratio.**

**_thedarkpokemaster_- I kinda got in three different POVs without actually making a POV. :P Meh, I tried to keep it at an even pace, but I'm not so sure how well I did with that.**

**_DarkStorm28_- Yes, yes it is. Though it's not too clear, the pain is, in fact, the doing of the nine-tailed fox. It's chakra hurts Naruto, and when it tries to put him in those trances he goes into, the fox must tap into his nervous system to control him by using its chakra, since it's trapped. Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you continue reading, though. Ask anybody who knows my stories; I always give a happy slash comedy relief every now and then. *sighs* Okay, if you don't like the story, don't read it. I'd much rather get less reviews (don't worry, I tell this to everyone who criticizes as much as you do this same thing) than get bad reviews that make people unwilling to read this story. And believe me, I've had a reviewer out to get me before and everyone began hating that reviewer because they liked the story and that guy was ruining it for them. I'll try to make peace, but after that little incident, I run out of patience with stuff like this more quickly.**

**_ somewhat skeptical_- I'll just tell you what I told DarkStorm28; I HATE people that criticize too much. Advice is accepted, that much criticism is called FLAME. If you don't like this story, then WHY are you reading it? No offense, dude, but you are just TRYING to get on my bad side right now. You wanna read something happy and unrealistic? Go look for something happy and unrealistic! I'm so frikin SICK of putting up with other people's CRAP! **

**_pepergirl001_- Thank you! **

**_ of michigan_- I didn't know that.**

**_Excele Kurokami_- I've read your review but it's far too long to reply to. Thank you for the information, though. Also, I don't know if you knew this already, but Kurokami means Black God. Oh, but also I must disagree with you on that only thing that can beat NaruSaku. In my personal opinion, not looking down on yours, NaruSaku is what I always call a "proper pairing", in which case the pairing matches the show. Such as in Sailor Moon, SerenaxDarien is a proper pairing, not SerenaxDiamond or SerenaxAndrew. And like in Danny Phantom, the proper pairing is DannyxSam, not DannyxVlad(gross!) or DannyxValerie. I always go with proper pairings, with the only exception being BBxRae. WAY BETTER THAN BBxTerra! RobxStar and BBxRae, but mostly BBxRae. Teen Titans should've given Beast Boy to Raven, but that never happened. Instead, those idiots made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that Starfire and Robin were together both during the series AND in the movie, but during the last few episodes they made it so Raven is saved by Robin. THAT'S where the idea of RobxRae came into play. I hate RobxRae! ERGH IT IRRITATES ME TO NO FRIKIN END! Okay, I'm gonna shut up now.**

**_alexmaster_- I'm getting there, I'm getting there! It's not the easiest thing in the world to write a story. It takes alot of imagination and creativity. You're lucky I draw so much, otherwise this story wouldn't exist.**

**_Tea Unicorn_- Glad you think so! This chapter was what I was aiming to get to for a long while now. Sat through three boring chappies to finally be able to come across this one. :D**

**_Echo Uchiha_- Thank you for all three of your reviews! ^_^**

**_9-tailed reaper_- Hope this is long enough for ya! :)**

**_Gohan Videl fan 489_- lolz! It is heating up! XP**

**_Saiyan Videl fan 99_- You're reading it all go down right now.**

**_dragonball z fan 300_- I don't plan on having Sakura absorb the Kyuubi. XD However, you're right in the fact that eventually Naruto will find out and YES he will be infuriated.**

**_NaruSaku fan 100_- Arigatougozaimasta! :) **

**_Rocketshipping fan_- Oh, wow! Thanks, that means alot to me!**

**_Rose Contestshipping fan88_- Okay, I KNOW you're the same person with multiple accounts. You have to be. Right?**

**_Kagome333_- I told you already on a different story, I can't continue The Divide yet. I'm actually still surprised someone even remembered that story. Anyway, MAYBE I can try to continue it two weeks from now; how does that sound? I say two weeks because we are currently in the process of deciding whether or not my bird can be transferred from my dad's house to my mom's house. My dad has already agreed, but my mom's answer is still pending. We are currently awaiting results. So anyway, I'll see what I can do.  
><strong>

**Thanks, and have a nice day! Or not... :3 Muahaha...**


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